Painful Feet

Are you experiencing pain in your feet or lower limbs? This can provide clues to many related ailments throughout your body. Here is a round-up of what your various pain signals may indicate.

What are the main causes of foot and lower limb pain?

Heel pain (plantar fasciitis)
Injury - such as sprains, breaks and fractures
Arthritis - inflammation of the joints and other tissues
Tendonitis - inflammation of the tendon structures that attach to the bones of your feet (e.g. the Achilles which connects your calf muscle to your feet)
Shin splints - refers to pain felt anywhere along the shinbone from the knee to the ankle

Peripheral vascular disease - where blood flow is constricted
Sever's disease - is a common cause of heel pain, particularly in young and physically active people
Deep vein thrombosis - a blood clot that forms in the veins of the leg
Sciatica and radiculopathy - pain in the buttock and leg caused by pressure on nerves in the lower back
Flat feet, corns, calluses, bunions or a range of other ailments

How can you heal your pain?

A good step is to see your podiatrist, who can assess and treat you as part of a personalised treatment plan.

It can also help to look after your overall general health - by drinking plenty of water, wearing correct footwear and exercising regularly where possible.

What is the best treatment?

No single treatment works for everyone, which is why it is so important to see a podiatrist who can tailor a treatment plan to specifically reflect your needs. Treatment for pain can be varied - to include anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen.

Whereas if swelling and inflammation is the cause of pain - ice packs, strapping and stretching can form part of your treatment plan. For biomechanical issues - such as flat feet or bunions - orthotics may be prescribed as part of a wider treatment plan.

Given the complexity of ailments affecting the feet and lower limbs, only your podiatrist can prescribe the treatment most suited to your needs. Most importantly, don't selfdiagnose pain treatment - please see a podiatrist.